Nearly 100 Montgomery Blair High School students were informed by letter Tuesday that the scores they received on an AP exam were being voided because of an administrative error. But Blair’s principal informed parents Wednesday that the scores were valid after all.
The problem occurred in May when some Blair students took the AP World History or U.S. Government & Politics exam while laying or sitting on the floor. The test was administered off-site in a room with lecture desks at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park. The desks had limited space to fit both an exam booklet and answer sheet, so about a dozen students asked and were given permission to take the exam on the floor, according to a student who was in the room.
The College Board, an educational organization that oversees the tests, received a complaint about the desk size and sent a letter telling the students that their score on the AP tests were being voided because of an “administrative error”— and that they would need to re-take the exam to get another score. The letter did not explain that the non-standard test taking conditions were the problem.
But in an email sent to parents of the affected students Wednesday morning, Blair Principal Renay Johnson and AP Coordinator Jennifer Craft said the College Board had agreed to give the students the option of keeping their scores. “We believe that students were prepared to be successful on these exams and their exams should be scored,” the email stated. “If you choose to have your child reassessed, the AP test will be given at Blair once the College Board informs us of the number of students that have requested this option.”
Gboyinde Onijala, a Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson, said 98 Blair students were affected. Onijala said the tests are administered offsite due to capacity issues at Blair. There are too many students for the school to handle all the tests, according to Onijala. She said the school administered 2,300 AP tests this past school year.
“All of our schools have the option of using offsite locations, but not all do it,” Onijala said.